LSU and Alabama: "What They are Saying"

LSU's stunning last minute loss to Alabama, only two days ago, still is the buzz of the sports world. Many are questioning calls made by the "Mad Hatter" that might have cost the Tigers an upset of the Tide. Here's "What They are Saying" about the instant classic in Tiger Stadium:

But it was Miles who faced the consequences alone, walking off the field silently, flanked only by an LSU official as fans above one side of the tunnel chastised him and fans on the other side consoled. After filming his post game interview on the empty north end zone turf, Miles peered toward the vacant student section and let out an exasperated sigh. Call it gambler's remorse.

Those calls, along with a fourth-down gamble in the fourth, cost his team momentum - and, very likely, 6 points that might have made AJ McCarron's game-winning 28-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Yeldon a moot point.

The Mad Hatter kept reaching into his bag of tricks -- and kept getting burned. A fake field goal was stuffed. An onside kick didn't work. And going for it on fourth down in Alabama territory didn't work out either.

There were warning signs that LSU's defense might be one to give up late-game heroics. Both the South Carolina touchdown drive and a late A&M drive that pulled the Aggies within 24-19 in LSU's Oct. 20 win had prevented the Tigers from closing out games with double-digit victory margins. Instead, both the Gamecocks and Aggies had the ball last with last-ditch chances to score a winning touchdown.

Remember when Bobby Hebert publicly criticized Les Miles for refusing to bench Jordan Jefferson for Jarrett Lee in the national title game? Another Hebert has now torn into Miles after a loss to Alabama, and this one happens to be a former Miles player.